International Youth Day – August 12th was celebrated with a two-day event at the “Biljana Belicanec” House of Culture in Kisela Voda. We have combined great energy, quality ideas, progressive thinking and a great program of workshops, films and hanging out.
The rain symbolically stopped just as we started the event and gave the youth a chance to be in charge. Not only on August 12 – when every year we celebrate International Youth Day. But today and tomorrow and yesterday. Always.
If they need a little ‘wind at their back’ then we hope we gave it to them on Thursday and Friday last week. In two days we combined enormous energy, quality ideas, progressive thinking and an excellent program of workshops, films and hanging out.
This year’s theme: “Intergenerational solidarity: Creating a world for all ages” was followed by the declaration of 2022 as the European Year of Youth (a greener, more inclusive and digital future), so Volunteers Centre Skopje and Go Green recognized the need to celebrate the Youth Day in a special way, focusing on youth volunteering and green activism. The two-day “event” at the House of Culture “Bliana Belicanec” in Kisela Voda affirmed the youth, and gave space to the community and especially to the youth – for ideas, conversations and thinking about creating a better and more sustainable future for the youth. It promoted European values and the possibilities of using the Erasmus+, ESC programs, as well as local volunteering and activism.
Various “Green Deal” workshops that focused on recycling and climate change, as well as creativity and design thinking emphasized the importance of non-formal education, which VCS has been offering to young people for years. The exhibition of photos and art that was dedicated to green activism and volunteerism showed us that the awareness among young people is here, it just needs to be “set free” a little.
A special attraction was the popular ‘cinema on wheels’, with electricity obtained from generators by cycling by the attendees. In fact, the entire event was carbon-free, and the electricity used for music, video and film projection was generated by solar panels and bicycle pedals. In addition, there was no waste either, because we provided a waste selection station.
Did we mention the music band “Resonance” and the juggler Kiril Gochevski? They attracted a bunch of kids, which is great, because we believe that we should be taught from a young age how important it is to volunteer and take care of a clean and healthy environment. The two-day event was organized by Volunteers Centre Skopje and Go Green, but with great support from Kisela Voda Municipality, the National Agency for European Education Programs and Mobility, as well as from the EU delegation in Skopje. And it was not by chance that we chose the House of Culture – cinema in Kisela Voda to host the event, because the local community remembers it as a place where the intergenerational gap disappeared, and a strong energy and cohesion emerged through local communities, cinema screenings, plays, theaters, the library… We believe that with a strong commitment from all sides and every day of the year, we will soon have a space again where ideas will become reality.
Goran Adamovski
Watch the final video from the event!
